On the Road to Cosmo-ville . . .

Blackberry Cosmo Jelly Shot, garnished with a paper-thin slice of raw cranberry and a little lime zest. (Shown with Classic Cosmo, left, and Pear Cosmo, back.)

Funny, but it seems like we were just in Cosmo-ville, oh, wait, we WERE just here (with Pear Cosmo, Mandarin Cosmo and Mango too . . .).  What can I say.  I love a Cosmo.  You must admit, although the Cosmo takes a lot of heat, it's a wonderful cocktail for entertaining - how often do you heard someone say, "oh, a Cosmo?  No thanks, I really don't like Cosmos".  Doesn't happen.

A Jelly Shot Thanksgiving

Its Thanksgiving, have a jelly shot! Pictured from bottom up:  Pear Sour, Apple Pie and Bourbon Smash

So many of you have written with a single, burning question - are jelly shots appropriate for Thanksgiving?  The answer is a resounding YES, absolutely.  (For our family gatherings they are practically a necessity . . . but that's neither here nor there . . .).  

Saveur.com is of like mind, and asked us to create three Thanksgiving-themed jelly shots!  The recipes - Bourbon Smash (fresh raspberries, mint and a hint of bourbon); Pear Sour (lemon, pear, gin and a splash of Angustora bitters); and Apple Pie (apple juice, Apfelkorn and Tuaca liqueur) - can be found on Saveur.com (click here to be redirected).

Hope you enjoy, and stay tuned for more holiday friendly jelly shot recipes here at the JSTK blog!

Cheers, Michelle

Espresso Martini Jelly Shot - a model of cocktail efficiency!

Espresso Martini Jelly Shot - the high octane version . . . 

Recently we had a lively discussion about cocktails with a very charming London attorney (I get barrister and solicitor mixed up, but at any rate, we shall refer to him as Mr. F.).  Mr. F.'s  favorite cocktail is the Espresso Martini, and his rationale for this choice made perfect sense.  An Espresso Martini is most importantly delicious, however, as a secondary consideration, the cocktail is coffee-based, and therefore caffeinated - very important if one is running on empty by nightfall.  A very efficient libation, indeed!

Unfettered F-U-N . . . Rainbow Jelly Shooter!

Rainbow Jelly Shooter

Its been a whirlwind at the test kitchen.  The book is progressing (crossing fingers that it is going to press in early December!), we have been working on a little something (three little somethings, actually) for Saveur.com, and about a million more actions items cropping up here and there, many of which have not received appropriate attention and are currently housed in a bin marked "anxiety provoking".   One of the highlights of our week was a lovely chat with Erin over at Tablespoon.com, who mentioned that they were hosting a Double Rainbow Week, which sounded like such fun!  (And it IS - featured items include double rainbow . . . donuts!  Cookie pops!  bring it on Tablespoon.com!)

So, when the weekend rolled around, rather than trolling cocktail books for jelly shot inspiration, we decided it was high time for a bit of unfettered f-u-n . . . FUN.

Two Tweaks on the Cosmo, Mandarin style . . .

Mandarin Cosmo Jelly Shot (front, pictured with Mango Cosmo Jelly Shot), garnished with a small wedge of mandarin orange

Mango Cosmo Jelly Shot, garnished with a small wedge of fresh mango

A reader inquired if Jelly Shot Test Kitchen had any recipes featuring mandarin vodka, his wife's favorite liquor.  (Isn't that the cutest thing?  We think its 100% adorable when guys are sweet on their wives . . . ) Apart from the traditional Cosmopolitan Cocktail, we really didn't have anything with mandarin vodka, and as delicious as a Cosmo is, it does't really showcase the sweet orange-y goodness of the spirit.  So we tweaked the classic a bit, and created Mandarin Cosmo and Mango Cosmo Jelly shots - these should fit the bill for all you mandarin vodka lovers out there!